NH Together, Celebration of Wreaths & Trees and more: Community news roundup
NH Together Project seeks to fix what’s broken in the Granite State
RYE — When several Seacoast residents and two NH state representatives gathered at the Rye Public Library on Oct. 12, they raised a wide range of issues.
Discussions spanned from the cost of housing in the Seacoast to attracting workers and the lack of tradespeople, to the broken business of medicine, the challenge of homeless teenagers, and not enough state support, and lots of discussion around education.
Martha Madsen led the third NH Together Project community disussion this fall, with the goal of having at least one in every N.H. county. Madsen was previously the executive director of NH Civics, the non-profit helping social studies teachers deliver civic content.
“We have had funding to begin this program for quite a while, but we needed a local program manager who had an extensive network, and we are extremely fortunate that Martha had recently stepped down from NH Civics and was looking for a new challenge,” said Sara Fuch-Voit, the People.org national program manager.
Madsen provided the People.org background and how a single Facebook post launched Katie Fahey into leading a successful Michigan referendum for fair and non-partisan redistricting. While Maine, Massachusetts, and many other states can drive political change through statewide ballot initiatives, that is not an option for N.H. grassroots movements. How can non-referendum states make significant democratic reforms?
Step one is to determine the problems or challenges that will attract a broad, diversified and motivated set of Granite Staters. That is the purpose of the NH Together Community Conversations.
Madsen led the residents from Rye, Greenland, Exeter, Durham and other communities asking, “What do you experience as broken in N.H. or in your community that we might work together to fix?” The discussion was followed by “What public problems cause you personal pain/keep you up at night?”
Madsen confirmed that housing has already emerged as a common thread in the first few community conversations. This is both the availability and the lack of affordable housing for people trying to move into communities and aging residents who find it harder to age in place. Education was another discussion topic, but there was a wide range of challenges, everything from inequitable opportunities, rising costs and students not being prepared to succeed in high schools, universities, trades and other areas. Charter schools and alternate schools were supported and criticized.
Madsen will continue the community conversations over the next few months, and current events and registrations can be found at https://www.thepeople.org/newhampshire. Events are set for Tilton, Concord, Newport, Manchester, Conway, and Rochester.
Step two will be additional dialogue in-person and online, as well as a broader survey. Step three will be strategizing about policy solutions, and step four will be a state-wide gathering galvanizing support for the nonpartisan proposals that come out of this process.
Portsmouth to host voter checklist session ahead of Nov. 7 election
PORTSMOUTH — The Board of Registrars will host a public session on Saturday, Oct. 28, from 12 to 2 p.m. at City Hall in the front lobby area for additions and changes of address to the voter checklist before the municipal election. No additions or changes of address will be made to the checklist after this session, until Election Day, Nov. 7, except as provided in RSA 659:12 or RSA 654:8, II.
Moffatt-Ladd House seeking exhibitors for Celebration of Wreaths & Trees
PORTSMOUTH — The Celebration of Wreaths & Trees is returning to the Moffatt-Ladd House this November.
Beginning Saturday, Nov. 18, from 4 to 8 p.m., and continuing Sunday, Nov. 19 from 2 to 6 p.m., the house, grounds, and warehouse will be filled with wreaths and trees decorated by local businesses and organizations.
The Moffatt-Ladd House is seeking businesses and organizations to submit decorated wreaths and trees (trees may be decorated on site during the preceding week) to display during the event. There is no fee to participate. Admission for adults is $10 (children 12 and under are free), and proceeds benefit the Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden’s educational programs. If your business or organization is interested in participating by providing a decorated wreath or tree, becoming a sponsor, or volunteering, please call 603-430-7968 or email education@moffattladd.org.
Susan Sinnott honored as 2023 Library Director of the Year
MADBURY — Madbury Public Library Director Susan Sinnott has been selected by the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association’s board of directors as 2023 Library Director of the Year, honoring her decade of leadership.
The Madbury Public Library, one of 234 in New Hampshire, was housed in a small, cramped ranch house when Sinnott first became director in 2013. Her professional insights were indispensable in formation of a new library, serving the town since December 2019. Sinnott is also a founding member of the Oyster River Community Read (ORCR) initiative, a collaboration using books as tools to help embrace difficult conversations and strengthen mutual understanding.
The Library Director of the Year award was presented to Sinnott at the Madbury Public library in a brief ceremony on Monday, Oct. 16.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Community news roundup: NH Together, Celebration of Wreaths & Trees
